About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

10 Contemp. Drug Probs. 307 (1981)
A Review of the Effects of the Decriminalization of Marijuana

handle is hein.journals/condp10 and id is 319 raw text is: Contemporary Drug Problems/Fall 1981 A review of the effects of the decriminalization of marijuana BY DEBORAH MALOFF, PH.D. Dr. Maloff was formerly a member of the Committee on Substance Abuse and Habitual Behavior, National Academy of Sciences. Introduction Since 1973, 11 states have decriminalized marijuana, thereby removing all criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of the drug. Although opponents of such a policy change have expressed concern about the harmful effects of decriminalization-specifically that it will lead to increased use-evidence gathered to date shows that, in fact, de- criminalization has had little impact on consumption, at least in the short run. At the same time, it has been a cost- and time-saving device for law enforcement agencies. The major research data available on the impact of decriminalization comes from survey research in three states-Oregon, Califor- nia, and Maine. The Oregon surveys were done under the auspices of the Drug Abuse Council; the others were under- taken by the respective state governments. These studies provide only crude impact measures, particularly with re- spect to consumption patterns. Nevertheless, the experience in each case tends to support similar conclusions about the © 1982 by Federal Legal Publications, Inc.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most